The Best Canvas Sizes: 9 Styles for Walls and More

Whether you’re creating an elaborate gallery wall, seeking the right frame for that new photograph or picking a canvas for your next DIY, size can make or break your project. Buying something too small or too big, too wide or too tall—it’s a lot to consider. Before you start shopping, take some time to find the best fit for your home. Below we’ve outlined nine popular canvas sizes for a home decor project. Or, if you’re looking for more options, scroll down to understand how to create a custom canvas for any type of home decor or craft project

1. 10" x 8" Canvas Prints

10"x8" canvases are a popular choice for fill-ins in gallery walls or as a small desk or bookcase accessory. Its size makes it versatile for a variety of artwork - you can mount your favorite family photo or simply print out an image and trim to fit. The 10"x8" canvas print is about the size of a standard piece of paper, so it works great for both landscape and portrait orientation. Choose to print beautiful travel photos, family photos, and more. The medium size also makes these canvas prints great to give as gifts.

Good for: desks, bookcases, small hallways

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2. 10" x 14" Canvas Prints

To upgrade to the next level, opt to use 10"x14" canvases if you have a print or piece of artwork that looks best matted. This canvas is also large enough to accommodate a photo collage - you can easily stack four 5"x7" photos into this canvas. This canvas size is slightly larger than a piece of paper, so it works for photos where you want to see slightly more detail. This size of canvas prints will look great in small bedrooms as well as other rooms throughout the home, including the kitchen.

Good for: small photo collages, guest bedrooms, kitchens

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3. 12" x 12" Canvas Prints

The 12"x12" canvas is an easy pick if you want to display a large photo, but may have limited wall space. This canvas size looks great with a single large image or broken up into a photo collage - get creative with your photo sizes! The square size is great for unique photos, especially if you want to turn some of your social media images into custom wall art. 12"x12" canvas prints are medium sized but still great for viewing more detail in your photos. The square size also makes them the perfect centerpiece for a gallery wall to help include more symmetry in the presentation.

Good for: apartment living rooms, bathrooms, gallery walls

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4. 24" x 10" Canvas Prints

While odd in shape, the 24"x10" opens up more possibilities than it limits. Fit this canvas in unique places of your home like on a mantle, above a kitchen stovetop or over your bedroom headboard. This canvas looks lovely showcasing a panoramic cityscape or large family photo. For any wide-set photos, this canvas print is the size you want to make sure the photo does not lose any quality. With the panoramic view, you can make sure your photo is printed in the proper dimensions so you capture every detail.

Good for: fireplace mantels, kitchen, long hallways

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5. 16" x 16" Canvas Prints

Use a 16"x16" as the "wow factor" to a gallery wall or hang on its own above a bedroom dresser. With plenty of space, create a unique photo collage by combining photos and fun quotes. The 16"x16" canvas size is a medium to large square, so it makes the perfect focal point on any wall if you have the space. Leave the canvas print to make a statement on its own, or pair with other smaller images for a unique display.

Good for: living rooms, dining rooms, guest bedrooms

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6. 20" x 16" Canvas Prints

Slightly larger than the 16"x16", the 20"x16" canvas allows you to display longer photos like wedding pictures, tall buildings or expansive landscapes. Hang this behind a desk or above a doorway. The larger size is also for canvas prints that you want to hang inside an office. They 20"x16" dimensions will take up enough space without making the wall look empty, as long as you have a standard sized room.

Good for: offices, game rooms, living rooms

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7. 36" x 12" Canvas Prints

Similar to the 24"x10", the 36"x12" canvas works well in longer hallways or over your entertainment center (it’s the same width as a 42" TV). Print inspirational quotes or your favorite travel photos on this canvas. The 36x12" canvas print is a large size, so we recommend using it for some of your favorite and highest-quality photos. The wide canvas print will make it look like you have a gallery inside your own home, and the size adds plenty of character to your walls.

Good for: living rooms, bedrooms, entryways

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8. 20" x 30" Canvas Prints

This tall canvas leaves a lasting impression on any room. You can opt to hang it above a sofa, but it’s also tall enough to prop up against a wall as a standalone image. By adding a frame, this canvas print size looks highly professional. The print is best-suited for your favorite family photos or kids photos, and it is the perfect size to hang up in bedrooms or hallways.

Good for: studies, bedrooms, living rooms

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9. 24" x 36" Canvas Prints

Ready to really impress your guests? This large 24x36 canvas can set the stage in any room with an expansive wall, but will do best in a room where it’s the only photo. If you have plenty of wall space, you can still create a gallery wall, but this size canvas print will do best as the centerpiece. Choose artistic photos to make your home look like a professional gallery. Your guests will think you spent hundreds to thousands on interior design, when the large canvas print is highly affordable and customizable at Shutterfly.

Good for: bedrooms, living rooms, offices

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Finding Your Perfect Canvas Size

Whether you’re shopping for artwork or creating something yourself, picking the right canvas size is critical for your one of a kind pieces. We outlined some popular choices above, but the number of standard canvas sizes available to you are in the dozens.

All canvases follow an aspect ratio, which is determined by the relationship of each side of the canvas to the others. For example, a square image has an aspect ratio of 1:1 because all sides are equal. If the aspect ratio is 1:2, that means one side is two times larger than the other.

If you don’t have the math chops to quickly calculate your desired aspect ratio, here are some other common canvas sizes:

Finding Your Perfect Canvas Size
Ratios1:11:22:33:44:55:6
Canvas SizesAll Squares10”x20”
12”x24”
20”x30”
24”x36”
9”x12”
12”x16”
8”x10”
16”x20”
8”x10”
20”x24”

Figuring out this aspect ratio is important not just so the canvas fits on your wall, but also to set the stage for your artwork. If you’ve ever seen a photo that seems too large or too small for the frame, you know that the size of a canvas can greatly impact the composition.

If you’re still unsure what canvas will work best for your photo or painting, you can quickly measure out some ratios with these few steps:

Step 1) Measure the current size of your artwork.

Step 2) Measure a ratio within that artwork’s size.

Step 3) Using cardboard or strips of paper, outline the ratio over the image.

Step 4) Adjust the position of your picture within the outline to see different ways to view it.

For example, if your picture is a standard 5"x7" photograph and you’d like to see how it would look as a square, simply overlay a 5"x5" outline cut out of cardboard. By moving the picture around, you can see how the focal point changes. You can now even increase the size within that ratio to see how an image looks blown up. For instance, taking that same 5"x5" image, it’ll have the same focal point at 10"x10" or 20"x20".

Why Canvas?

Before you resort to a regular ol’ frame to showcase your favorite photo, consider getting it professionally done as a canvas print. The material (typically cotton or linen) is hand-stretched so the fibers turn an ordinary photo into a work of art. Additionally, opting for a canvas print is actually lighter weight than other wood wall art pieces, making it ideal to change around for gallery walls or during redecorating. If you’re missing the elegance, try a framed canvas for museum gallery quality.

When you’re about to dive into a DIY project—whether it’s painting or home decor—it helps to have a plan in place to allow your creativity to flourish. Starting off with a blank canvas, use our guide above to determine the size and shape that best suits your project. Looking for the right canvas for your room? Browse all nine of our canvases to customize for your home.